There are four major feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross of Jesus, Exaltation – the one we just celebrated on Sunday – is the greatest. Exaltation, or Elevation of the Cross, encompasses the others feasts, which are Discovery of the Cross, Apparition of the Cross, and the Cross of Varak.
The Cross of Christ is mystically connected to the power of healing. Yesterday I shared one story from my personal experience. Throughout the centuries there have been thousands of such events that have been well documented. The first takes place when the Holy Cross of Christ was discovered.
Christianity was an underground religion for the first few centuries after Christ. When Christianity was accepted in the Roman Empire, many pious converts went on expeditions to preserve relics and sacred objects connected to Christ. The greatest of these was the Cross.
The mother of Emperor Constantine, Queen Helena, was one of those pious individuals. She ventured off to Jerusalem to find items to bring her closer to Christ. With the help of the Bishop of Jerusalem, St. Macarius, she discovered the site where the Crucifixion took place. There, she found three crosses. Which was the true Cross of Christ? Apparently there was a terminally ill woman there. St. Macarius offered this prayer: “Lord, through the suffering of Your only Son on the cross, You chose to bring salvation to humanity. And now, You have moved Your servant Helena to search for the sacred wood on which our Savior was crucified. Please reveal clearly which of these three crosses was raised for Your glory. Set it apart from the ones used for ordinary executions. Let this dying woman be restored to life the moment she touches the cross that brings salvation.”
The woman was healed when touched by the True Cross of Christ. St. Helena had a shrine built on the spot. The Armenian Church is a custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Pray, as St. Macarius did, not as a test of the power of God, but rather, to have God guide you to the power which heals and brings us salvation.
Tomorrow, we continue.
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Macarius-praying-at-three-crosses-e1757976314791.jpg705906Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2026-09-16 00:10:302026-09-15 22:47:50St. Macarius’ Prayer of the Cross
On the Feast of the Holy Cross, a special ceremony known as antastan takes place in all Armenian churches worldwide. The word literally means land, as in a piece or patch of land. During the ceremony the four corners of the World – West, East, South, North – were blessed. A cross is decorated with basil and processed around the church. The significance of basil was explained in one of the Armodoxy daily messages about the Holy Cross Feast.
Today, a small story, from my pastoral experience that I share for your consideration.
It happened during the early days of the first pastorate near San Jose, California. A young man in his late teens was stricken by a mysterious illness that left him in a coma-like state. He could not take anything by mouth. He was being fed intravenously. The doctors were baffled. His parents called me for prayers. I too was young, only recently ordained a priest, and filled with questions. I visited him a few times but wasn’t sure if he even knew that I was in the room. We prayed with his parents.
After two weeks, on the feast of the Holy Cross, blessed the four corners and I took some of the basil home with me. That Sunday, I called my grandmother. She lived in Los Angeles, and I knew that the feast was important in her life. During our conversation, I mentioned the plight of the young man, Armen. Without hesitation she instructed me to boil some water with the blessed basil leaves and take this “tea” to the boy. It would help, she said.
I’m all for science and medicine. I wasn’t really up to taking a homemade concoction into a modern hospital. What he had was still a mystery for the doctors, but, out of my respect and love for my grandmother and her wisdom, I took a thermos of this elixir to the hospital, put it under my coat to avoid embarrassment, I got it into the room.
The parents touched the basil tea to Armen’s lips. If this did not happen in my presence I would not have believed it. He reacted. He moved. They called me the following day and told me he had woken up and drank the tea. A few days later he was up, eating and drinking as normal. They never knew what caused or what the illness was, only that he came through and now, 40+ years later, I remember that episode, especially every Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
As mentioned earlier, I present it here for your consideration and ask that we continue on the mystery of the cross tomorrow.
Today we will build on yesterday’s message about our prejudices regarding the supernatural. (Carlos Santana’s story) If we put away our prejudices, and keep the ego in check, we find it easier to see the supernatural in daily occurrences, whether in the pollination of a flower, the amazing structure a duckling’s tail feather, or the supernatural occurrence healing of the physical.
When we look at the metaphor of the Vine and the branches which Jesus articulates, “I am the vine and you are the branches… you cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine,” we find a natural progression of events. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine! Yes, obviously. It’s so natural that it is a given. It is an axiom, not even necessary to mention. But our senses have become so dull, we are conditioned to the point that we doubt the obvious, and so we must repeat it for clarity. Jesus should not have had to give this lesson in agricultural and botany to a group of people who cultivated the land for their livelihood, but he did. Now imagine how much more we need to, and must, reiterate matters with which we are not familiar.
In my first parish I had a young lady who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis was devastating enough, without learning of the many horrible and frightening treatments she would endure to fight this disease and with no certainty of winning that battle. Within our parish community the word spread quickly, and we were all in various degrees of anguish. She was a mother of a beautiful daughter who was too young to realize what lurked ahead for mom. Her husband, stoic at the news, was ever so supportive and determined to overcome the cancer. We braced for the worst with members of our church even discussing how to take care of the little child in her mother’s absence.
That Sunday, as all Sundays, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and distributed the Holy Eucharist. After church services she approached me. She told me – not asked me – “I received Holy Communion today. It is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” I nodded my head, yes, you did. She continued, “Well, if Jesus Christ is within me, what cancer can survive inside of me? There is no place for that cancer in my body!”
She said this with such conviction and strength. I picture her face saying this to me to this day and my eyes water as I swell up with emotion thinking about it. If Jesus Christ is inside of me, what business does cancer have within me? Yes! That’s exactly what she said.
The lady of great faith went on to live. She and her husband brought two more beautiful daughters to this world and through the years, we stay in touch, even if only for a Christmas card, with pictures of the family growing and flowering. Even more, she is forever connected to me through the “Vine” that connects us all. Her story has helped me through some of my worst days, and I share it with others, not only to offer hope, but to change our perception of the supernatural to natural.
What we call Supernatural is natural, normal, for those who exist in a different plane of understanding. That plane is not that far away. It is no different than perceiving heaven here on earth. The exercise of losing ego and the dropping of the prejudices we harbor against the miracles of life bring us closer to that reality.
We pray today from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the evening hours, “Gracious Lord, commit me to a good angel, who may guide my soul in peace, and carry it undisturbed through the wickedness of evil to heavenly places. Amen.”
Cover: Jermuk Falls, 2019 Fr. Vazken
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/waterfall-e1750367247614.jpg1123850Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2026-06-16 00:10:072026-06-15 14:55:18Finding the Supernatural Within
When I arrived at the St. Garabed Armenian Church in Rancho Mirage, California, the Pastor, Deacon Gevork, upon greeting me, introduced me to Gina Anzor. I was at St. Garabed on that Sunday morning to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. It was the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Asdvadzadzin. Deacon Gevork also asked that I celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing, that is Consecration with Holy Muiron on Gina. Little did I realize that I would also be witnessing a double miracle.
Gina had come to the church at the direction of priest Fr. Ronald, a retired member of the Roman Catholic Church clergy. She had no ties to the Armenian Church, neither ethnically nor through marriage, but it was obvious that the Spirit had driven her to this Church. She had come this day to be accepted as a full consecrated member of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church. In preparation for this moment, Deacon Gevork had instructed Gina on the heart and teaching of the Armenian Church, and he served as her godfather.
As we prepared for the Sacrament, I introduced Gina to the congregation and congratulated them on this most auspicious occasion. The first miracle occured that day was when we reflected on our history, that only one hundred years ago, Armenians were on the verge of extinction. They had risen to the cross to be crucified! But today, not only has the nation resurrected, but the Church is attracting from outside the Armenian nation converts! I explained that this was not a conversion of Faith. Gina was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. Our consecration with the Holy Muiron is to give her the essentials and the strength with which to grow and mature in her faith and in Orthodox Tradition.
Dripping the Holy Muiron from its container, we sang a hymn addressed to the Holy Spirit. I proceeded to consecrate all her senses, as explained in this series a few days ago. At the end of the service, the congregation welcomed her with applause and well wishes.
A few days later, Gina wrote a note to Deacon Gevork and herein we find the second miracle.
Nine years ago I lost the vision in my left eye and feeling in my left hand. Problems from being a life-long insulin dependent diabetic. I was told by retinal specialists that nothing would improve my vision. I’ve had 3 hand surgeries in the past 2 years and it has helped a little. Since the anointing, the vision in my left eye is so much better. I am typing this and can read the words! My left hand is free from pain. Thank you so much for supporting me in the journey. At 74 years old I feel like a new human being. Healthy, happy and I have a church home. See you Sunday. – Gina
The Holy Spirit touches us daily and in many different ways. The Sacraments are the means by which the Holy Spirit reaches out to us and the anointing by Holy Muiron is a tangible expression of the Spirit’s touch.
We pray, from the Mashdots, the prayer following Chrismation, Blessed are You provident God that has clothed Your child with a garment of salvation and with a robe of gladness and place a helmet of redemption and a crown of grace on their head as an indestructible armor against the Adversary. Amen.
Continuing our journey through Armodoxy, we bring the supernatural home today. If we put away our prejudices, and keep the ego in check, we find it easier to see the supernatural in daily occurrences, whether in the pollination of a flower, the amazing structure a duckling’s tail feather, or the supernatural occurrence healing of the physical.
When we look at the metaphor of the Vine and the branches which Jesus articulates, “I am the vine and you are the branches… you cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine,” we find a natural progression of events. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine! Yes, obviously. It’s so natural that it is a given. It is an axiom, not even necessary to mention. But our “dull faculties” (Einstein’s words) have become conditioned to the point that we doubt the obvious, and so we must repeat it for clarity. Jesus should not have had to give this lesson in agricultural botany to a group of people who cultivated the land for their livelihood, but he did. Now imagine how much more we need to, and must, reiterate matters with which we are not familiar.
In my first parish I had a young lady named Leslie who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis was devastating enough, without learning of the many horrible and frightening treatments she would endure to fight this disease and with no certainty of winning that battle. Within our parish community the word spread quickly, and we were all in various degrees of anguish. She was a mother of a beautiful daughter who was too young to realize what lurked ahead for mom. Her husband, stoic at the news, was ever so supportive and determined to overcome the cancer. We braced for the worst with members of our church even discussing how to take care of the little child in her mother’s absence.
That Sunday, as all Sundays, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and distributed the Holy Eucharist. After church services Leslie approached me. She told me – not asked me – “I received Holy Communion today. It is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” I nodded my head, yes, you did. She continued, “Well, if Jesus Christ is within me, what cancer can survive inside of me? There is no place for that cancer in my body!”
She said this with such conviction and strength. I picture her face saying this to me to this day and my eyes water as I swell up with emotion thinking about it. If Jesus Christ is inside of me, what business does cancer have within me? Yes! That’s exactly what she said.
Leslie went on to live. She and her husband brought two more beautiful daughters to this world and through the years, we stay in touch, even if only for a Christmas card, with pictures of the family growing and flowering. Even more, she is forever connected to me through the “Vine” that connects us all. Her story has helped me through some of my worst days, and I share it with others, not only to offer hope, but to change our perception of the supernatural to natural.
What we call Supernatural is natural, normal, for those who exist in a different plane of understanding. That plane is not that far away. It is no different than perceiving heaven here on earth. The exercise of losing ego and the dropping of the prejudices we harbor against the miracles of life bring us closer to that reality.
We pray today from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the evening hours, “Gracious Lord, commit me to a good angel, who may guide my soul in peace, and carry it undisturbed through the wickedness of evil to heavenly places. Amen.”
Cover: Jermuk Falls, 2019 Fr. Vazken
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IMG_0590-scaled.jpg25602397Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2024-08-09 00:01:322024-08-08 19:02:05Supernatural to Natural
One of the customs around the September celebration of the Holy Cross, is to pass out basil to the congregants. The feast is called the “Exaltation” or “Elevation” of the Holy Cross, recounting that the Holy Cross of Jesus was imprisoned by enemies of Christianity. When the Cross was recovered (7th century) it was raised in a procession to proclaim its freedom from captivity. Today, in the Armenian Church, the symbolic procession takes place, where a cross is elevated along with basil. As tradition tells us, when the Cross of Christ was found there was basil growing all around it. Contrary to what has been propagated by popular folk myth, there is no such thing as blessing basil on this feast. The basil merely is placed on the altar, decorating the altar crosses as a connection with the story of its loss and recovery.
The blessing that does take place is a product of the power of the Holy Divine Liturgy. This special mystical power of the Liturgy is not spoken about often enough. During the Holy Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, prayers are offered, the saints of the Church are remembered and asked to intercede for us, the sacred hymns from early centuries are chanted and sung, and the request of the faithful assembled are voiced or voicelessly heard, and the Holy Spirit is invoked to transform the bread and wine to the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Presence of Jesus Christ Himself is at the Divine Liturgy! And so, in the Presence of Jesus Christ all become blessed and cleansed. Even more, the same Divine Liturgy has been celebrated in the church for years, decades and in some places for centuries. The incense which carries the prayers up to heaven, has been absorbed into the church walls, along with the prayers and hymns. Your parents, your grandparents, your great grands and theirs are all part of this celebration. The small piece of basil sitting on top of the altar, and everything in the Presence of God has now been blessed.
Early on in my ministry when I was serving at a parish in Cupertino, California one of the young men in our church succumbed to an illness which incapacitated him. He was hospitalized and went unconscious. The doctors did not know what to make of it. They administered tests but were confounded. They began feeding him intravenously because he no longer was accepting anything by mouth. His father, a devout and believing man notified me and asked that I pray for his son.
It was the Feast of the Cross and I was speaking to my grandmother on the phone. She was the greatest influence on my life. She lived two doors down from our house while growing up and since taking this pastorate in Cupertino, there were now 400 miles that separated us. But thanks to telephones – yes, landlines with dials – I’d stay in touch and would call her regularly, especially either before or after church services. That Sunday, we spoke and in the conversation I mentioned the plight of this young boy. As I spoke about him, I recalled that his father was from Los Angeles and, in fact, lived in the same neighborhood as my grandmother. I told her who he was and of course, she knew him and his family.
Without hesitation, she told me to take the basil from the Holy Divine Liturgy, boil it in water and take the “Basil Tea” to the boy in the hospital.
I did exactly as she told me. I put Basil Tea in a thermos. It was old-school, with the shiny glass innards and the plaid exterior with a screw-on cup on top. I rushed it to the hospital and kept it concealed under my raincoat. Yes, there was a degree of embarrassment walking into a modern hospital with an ancient remedy prescribed by granny.
At the hospital, we prayed and I gave tea to his father to administer to the boy. The tea was the first liquid (or solid) to enter his mouth in nearly two weeks.
The next morning I received a call. It was his father telling me that his son had come-to. He finished the thermos of tea and was now starting solids. The doctors and medical staff were amazed and dumbfounded.
The basil was definitely blessed, but so was everything else in the church. It is a simple lesson that Jesus teaches us, that life itself is a blessing. The sacred and holy are all around us, only asking us to acknowledge, not with a nod, but by living the blessing.
Let us pray, O Lord, Jesus Christ. You came to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. Each of us, with our baptism through the Holy Font have become members of the Kingdom. Today I pray the prayer of the Holy Apostles, “Increase our faith” so that we may be worthy members of Your Kingdom, to see the Blessings that are around us. Amen.
Continuing our journey through Armodoxy, we bring the supernatural home today. If we put away our prejudices, and keep the ego in check, we find it easier to see the supernatural in daily occurrences, whether in the pollination of a flower, the amazing structure a duckling’s tail feather, or the supernatural occurrence healing of the physical.
When we look at the metaphor of the Vine and the branches which Jesus articulates, “I am the vine and you are the branches… you cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine,” we find a natural progression of events. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine! Yes, obviously. It’s so natural that it is a given, not even necessary to mention. But our “dull faculties” (Einstein’s words) have become conditioned to the point that we doubt the obvious, and so we must repeat it for clarity. Jesus should not have had to give this lesson in agricultural botany to a group of people who cultivated the land for their livelihood, but he did. Now imagine how much more we need to, and must, reiterate matters with which we are not familiar.
In the last century (and those of you following this series will know why I place the time as such), in my first parish I had a young lady named Leslie, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis was devastating enough, without learning of the many horrible and frightening treatments she would endure to fight this disease and with no certainty of winning that battle. Within our parish community the word spread quickly, and we were all in various degrees of anguish. She was a mother of a beautiful daughter who was too young to realize what lurked ahead for mom. Her husband, stoic at the news, but ever so supportive and determined to overcome the cancer. We braced for the worst with members of our church even discussing how to take care of the little child in her mother’s absence.
That Sunday, as all Sundays, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and distributed the Holy Eucharist. After church services, Leslie approached me. She told me – not asked me – “I received Holy Communion today. It is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.” I nodded my head, yes, you did. She continued, “Well, if Jesus Christ is within me, what cancer can survive inside of me? There is no place for that cancer!”
She said this with such conviction and strength. I picture her face saying this to me to this day and my eyes water as I swell up with emotion thinking about it. If Jesus Christ is inside of me, what business does cancer have within me? Yes! That’s exactly what she said.
Leslie went on to live. She and her husband brought two more beautiful daughters to this world and through the years, we stay in touch, even if only for a Christmas card, with pictures of the family growing and flowering. Even more, she is forever connected to me through the “Vine” that connects us all. Her story has helped me through some of my worst days, and I share it with others, not only to offer hope, but to change our perception of the supernatural to natural.
What we call Supernatural is natural, normal, for those who exist in a different plane of understanding. That plane is not that far away. It is no different than perceiving heaven here on earth. The exercise of losing ego and the dropping of the prejudices we harbor against the miracles of life bring us closer to that reality.
We pray today from St. Nersess Shnorhali’s prayer of the evening hours, “Gracious Lord, commit me to a good angel, who may guide my soul in peace, and carry it undisturbed through the wickedness of evil to heavenly places. Amen.”
https://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/P7050909-scaled.jpg19202560Vazken Movsesianhttps://epostle.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/final_logo_large_for_epostle_web-300x189.pngVazken Movsesian2023-08-17 00:01:262023-08-16 22:01:08The Supernatural Within
We have dedicated this week of Advent to exploring theodicies, that is, what does it mean to believe in a good and just God, especially in the face of evil. We were prompted by the lesson of the week from Luke 13.
Today, we apply theodicy and decipher a practical theodicy. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” We begin to understand ourselves as part of a process, part of God’s royal family, and in so doing we begin to understand that the kingdom is not about prestige and honor but about accepting a responsibility of being human and created in the image of God. In other word, solutions that are found outside of us, reduce or nullify a very important component of our humanity, namely the ability to interact and share in the love is God. We pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is more than a wish, it is the understanding that we are the inhabitants of earth and therefore, if His will is to be done, it is with our participation.
The world around us is filled with the much pain, and suffering is everywhere. The evil we experience in life has many causes, some brought about by people, others by life circumstances. The Christian is called to be Christlike. Jesus came across people who were suffering from illness as well as those in deep pain over losses brought about by tragedies in life. He reached out, comforted, healed and restored. We would like to do the same, of course, but are not confident of our ability to do so because we are overwhelmed with the magnitude of evil in our lives.
Reach out. Comfort. Heal. Restore.
Applied theodicy is about applying what we have learned as an answer to evil. Before Jesus healed and restored, he reached out and comforted. Reaching out is the first step a Christian is called to do, and each of us is capable to doing so.
During the Advent Season, we have a very special evening dedicated to the remembrance of one of the greatest evils, namely the death of children. On the second Sunday in December, we gather and remember those who have passed before their time to live. “Children’s Memorial Day” is an opportunity to come together, offer ourselves, and bring semblance in a time of disaster. For a parent that has lost a child, whether to illness or to accident, comforting them may seem impossible, so then begin with the first step, reach out. It is simple action that mimics the actions of our Lord. He reached out. Comfort will follow and begin to understand how God uses people, in this case you, to bring about healing and restoration. You begin to understand that indeed the Kingdom of God is within you, and as a member of that Kingdom you are honored with responsibility.
Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We are only half-way through Advent, and already the pieces are coming together. Each day builds on the lessons of the previous day. To be Christlike is to accept responsibility to overcome the hardships, the evil, of this world.
We pray, the words taught to us by Christ, “Our Father who is in heaven, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory. Amen.”
We continue our Advent Journey next time and I look forward to doing so with you.
Next Step #756 – December 1, 2022 – First steps toward the mystery of God’s revelation at Christmas, here is the Advent primer. Einstein mathematics: 50 days hath Easter as does Christmas. Jesus’ warning on the “fool.” New series on Epostle with Dr. Ani exploring monasteries. Armodoxy you won’t find in a museum. Healing at Christmas. Alchemy for Armenia: Jewelry to benefit Etchmiadzin renovation project. In His Shoes: How Jesus sees us. All on this episode.
In the parable of the “Prodigal Son” (Luke 15), when the wayward boy is reconciled with his father, the servants of the house hear the voice of the father command, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.” In this action, the son would be reconciled completely with his father.
Returning back to physical and/or emotional health – whether following an attack by a virus or after a broken relationship – is a difficult proposition and often, a more difficult process. Along the way, both physical and emotional health may be compromised making full recovery next to impossible.
The recovery granted to us by God is complete and full. By looking inward, we discover our weaknesses and count our strengths. The delicate balance between the two is defined by our perception, attitude, and our ability to communicate with God.
Begin with prayer, “Christ, you are the growing fire, inflame my soul with the fire of your love, which you have shed on the earth, that it may consume the stains of my soul, clear my conscience, purify my body from sin, and kindle in my heart the light of your knowledge. Amen.” (Shnorhali #10)
